Sailor Spells

[ZenBear]

What low level spells would a Wizard Sailor find most useful?

For cantrips I'm thinking Control Flames would be invaluable to put out fires on the ship or exacerbate fires on enemy ships. For that latter reason Firebolt is also great for lighting enemy sails on fire and for general combat of course. Mending is great for general maintenance. Dancing Lights would be valuable for night work, and Message for communication during a storm.

1st level spells I like Fog Cloud to obscure line of sight. Not much else leaps out at me at this level.

2nd level Shatter seems solid for blowing apart a mast or siege weapon. Of course long range fire spells are always useful, so Scorching Ray is great. Gust of Wind gives your ship a boost of speed, and Skywrite finally finds a home in ship to ship/shore communication.

What else stands out to you guys?

[Tanarii]

Mage Hand & Message cantrips are obvious day-to-day sailor cantrips.

If you're going to act as artillery, you probably want Spell Sniper to increase the range of your Firebolts and Scorching Rays. Create Bonfire would be another way to set things on fire, but it doesn't benefit from Spell Sniper.

Tenser's Floating disk & Unseen Servant are useful utility rituals a wizard sailor would probably use a lot.

2nd level, Levitate & Locate Object stand out as utility spells a sailor would have if they assist with loading and unloading.

(I think Skywrite would be a must have.)

It's a bit short range, but Catapult feels thematic. Web would be good in about-to-be-boarded actions. Cloud of Daggers would be useful for below decks and narrow ladder ways defense, but if it gets to that point you're probably already screwed. Or at least have blown most of your spell slots. Misty Step would be a great wizard-Marine boarding spell.

[Kyutaru]

The 3rd level spell Moon Prism Power Make Up.

It enhances your abilities.

[SheVa]

Cantrips:

Druidcraft - can be used to predict the weather (useful for avoiding storms or picking up good winds)

Shape Water - can be used to move small amounts of water around (useful for filling buckets when your ship leaks)

Guidance - can be applied to any check, such as riggig a sail, determining a course, climbing a slippery rope (endlessly useful to any character)

Mending - can be used to fix any mundane item (useful for fixing a torn rope, plucking a small hole in a plank, etc.)

Message - can be used to communicate telepahically over a short distance, 30 ft. (useful for relaying orders in a noisy storm or battle)



Level 1:

Create or Destroy Water - can be used to make fresh water a non-problem (useful when stranded or marooned, maybe increasing your own market value as the ship needs to stock less supply)

Goodberry - Create or Destroy Water - can be used to make fresh food a non-problem (useful when stranded or marooned, maybe increasing your own market value as the ship needs to stock less supply)



Level 2:

Skywrite - can be used to communicate over large distances (useful to attract attention when stranded or marooned, or for co-ordinating fleet actions)



Level 3:

Water Breathing - do I need to even comment on this one? ^^

Water Walk - likewise ^^



I could go on into higher levels or expand on more spells from the levels covered above, but these are the "early" stand-outs, to me.

[nickl_2000]

Cantrips:
Control Fire - put out fire on your ships
Create Bonfire - Put a magical fire on an enemies ship
Fire Bolt - Light enemy ship on fire from a distance
Gust - Add a little speed to your ship, blow enemies into the water
Light - See at night
Lightning Lure - Pull allies out of the water back into the boat
Mage Hand - Always useful
Mending - There is always something broken on a ship
Prestidigitation - Flavor food, clean the ship, always useful
Shape Water - make a platform for someone who fell in the water, freeze ice in front of opponents ship to slow them down

Level 1:
Burning Hands - Gotta be careful, but you can light the enemies ship on fire in many places at once
Charm Person - Get a better deal selling cargo or avoid mooring taxes
Comprehend Languages - You never know who you will run into on the sea
Find Familiar - Something that swims can scout the ground for reefs to make sure a path is safe.
Fog Cloud - As you mentioned
Grease - grease on a rolling ship could make people fall off.
Jump - jump between boats, jump to shore, etc
Catapult - Throw stuff at other ships

Level 2:
Blindness - put it on an opposing helmsman in battle
Continual Flame - Danger free light for the ship
Gust of Wind - As you said
Levitate - Get people safely out of the water, lift enemies off a boat, let the boat continue onwards, drop them in the drink.
Spider Climb - Climb the rigging with no danger of falling
Earthbind - Anything flying is forced into the water and will probably drown
Dragon's Breath - Again fire burns.
Warding Wind - Protect yourself and other from ranged attacks and puts out flames.

[Bobthewizard]

It would be a perfect time to play a Warlock with repelling blast to knock people into the water. As a Wizard, though, I'd take Gust and Lightning Lure cantrips and Thunderwave as a first level spell. All can be used to knock people off the rigging or even off the ship.

As a DM, I'd rule that Levitate keeps you moving in the direction of the ship. The ship would need to turn in order to leave you behind.

At higher levels, Control Water and Passwall will be useful.

[Mercurias]

Control Water, Message, and Mending would all be great day-to-day cantrips. A superstitious sailor could use Guidance. A wizened sea-mystic might use Shileleigh on their walking stick, or Thorn Whip to haul someone overboard. Mage Hand would be invaluable for carrying ropes things while climbing or bringing along extra buckets when bailing water. Druidcraft would be a great spell for reading the weather.

Fog Cloud would be an outstanding choice for disguising your ship from pirates while hiding in a forgotten cove.

Goodberry, Create and Destroy Water, Create Food and Drink, Purify Food and Water, and Detect Disease and Poison are all useful for stretching resources. Healing magic would go a long way in general, also, since it wouldn’t use up precious supplies.

Liberal use of Darkvision would make you a good lookout at night.

Imagine the damage you could do to a ship by dragging a Flaming Sphere all around it’s deck.

Control Water could, with GM approval, allow you to help propel your ship faster, or even capsize small vessels.

Water Breathing and Water Walk are pretty obvious rituals to cast daily.

Polymorph would be a fantastic means of scouting. Turn into a seagull and fly a few miles out to check for land or other vessels, then return with the info.

Control Winds would be a nightmare for enemy vessels.

Plant Growth spells would be a great boon on long term voyages. If you dock for a few days, you can plant a few orange seeds in the dirt, make them sprout with Druidcraft, and use Plant Growth to bring in a crop of fresh, healthy citrus.

Control Weather could wipe out a navy, or an entire island.

[Man_Over_Game]

Don't forget about Animal Messenger. Forgot that Wizards don't get that spell.

[ZenBear]

Thanks for the feedback! So for a 4th level Wizard, what spells would you pick? That means 4 cantrips and 12 spells of 1st and 2nd level. I’m building an NPC to be a ship’s mage.

Here’s what I’m thinking:
Cantrips: Control Fire, Mending, Message, Firebolt.
1st: Detect Magic, Find Familiar, Fog Cloud, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile
2nd: Continual Flame, Gust of Wind, Misty Step, Scorching Ray, Skywrite, Warding Wind

[LibraryOgre]

Does Purify Food and Drink desalinate water? I mean, it's a ritual, and if you do that a couple times a day, that reduces a lot of need to carry water (you still DO, because you're not silly, but you don't need as much).

[bobofwestgate]

I'm a big fan of the spell Bigby's Hand. Decent range. You can punch with it to damage ship weapons and structure. You can push people overboard. You can restrain people like the helmsman.

[SheVa]

Don't forget about Animal Messenger. Forgot that Wizards don't get that spell.

Ohno, I didn't read that this was for a Wizard - now I feel dumb '^.^

[darknite]

No Lesser Restoration? C'mon, these are sailors!

[nickl_2000]

No Lesser Restoration? C'mon, these are sailors!

On a Wizard?

[darknite]

On a Wizard?

Wizards have needs, too... :smallbiggrin:

[SLOTHRPG95]

On a Wizard?

Theurgy w/ Life domain makes it possible at 4th level, but that's the only way I can think of. And I feel like a sailor wizard is more likely to be a diviner, or an evoker if they're living artillery for the ship, or even (thematically) Theurgy w/ Tempest domain rather than w/ Life.

[Tanarii]

Here’s what I’m thinking:
Cantrips: Control Fire, Mending, Message, Firebolt.
1st: Detect Magic, Find Familiar, Fog Cloud, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile
2nd: Continual Flame, Gust of Wind, Misty Step, Scorching Ray, Skywrite, Warding Wind
You've got 2 too few 1st level spells (you get two at level 2) and 2 too many 2nd (you get 2 each at levels 3 & 4).

[ZenBear]

You've got 2 too few 1st level spells (you get two at level 2) and 2 too many 2nd (you get 2 each at levels 3 & 4).

Good catch. I forgot Wizards don’t get to swap spells known when they level up.

Cantrips: Control Fire, Mending, Message, Firebolt.
1st: Detect Magic, Find Familiar, Feather Fall, Floating Disk, Fog Cloud, Identify, Mage Armor, Magic Missile
2nd: Gust of Wind, Misty Step, Scorching Ray, Skywrite

[Tanarii]

Feather fall seems out of place. Are you thinking of falling from the rigging?

Personally I'd take Chromatic orb instead of Magic Missile. But that's because my first feat would be Spell Sniper. Assuming feats are available.

[Sigreid]

Dimension Door and Arcane Gate could be fantastic for boarding actions.

[ZenBear]

Feather fall seems out of place. Are you thinking of falling from the rigging?

Personally I'd take Chromatic orb instead of Magic Missile. But that's because my first feat would be Spell Sniper. Assuming feats are available.

Yeah, FF is for the crows nest. Chromatic Orb is fine but I’m aiming for a primarily utilitarian caster.

[Vogie]

If light homebrew is allowed, one thing that may be flavorful is dipping into older sourcebooks & editions for actual ship-related spells and convert them into 5e. I'm most familiar with Pathfinder, which has a whole Inner Sea campaign setting, to mine for ship-related spells. I'm not talking crazy powerful ones, either -

Track Ship - Exactly what it says on the tin
Buoyancy - Target thing floats in the water
Ice Armor - Creates a Breastplate of ice, allowing the wearer to float, but also can be removed by taking fire damage. Has to be donned unless cast while in the water
Unseen Crew - Unseen Servants but with the appropriate amount of sailor training to assist in operating a ship
Murderous Crow - A pseudo-familiar that reacts to and attacks creatures that attack you
Hydraulic Push - Target has to save to avoid being knocked over, all fire extinguished in the area
Vengeful Comets - Basically a Minute Meteors mixed with Armor of Agathys

Your DM may also take ideas for thematic magic items converted from said older texts as well.